


223 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 928 609 



Conservation Resources 
Lig-Free® Type I 
Ph 8.5, Buffered 






UllAlimiAiilllillAtllllllHAtl,li 



Portland Stone, 

{BETON AGGL OMERE.) 



ARGUMENT SHOWING ITS SUITABILITY, ABOVE 
ALL OTHER MATERIAL, 



FOR 




{jometerie& 



With Special Reference to the Sample Furnished by 

GEORGE H. MOORE, OF WASHINGTON, D. C. 

Made before the Senate Committee on Military Affairs 

BY 






LOUIS BAGGER 



. tr bOi, 




WASHINGTON: 

PBINTED BY POWKLIi & GlNCK, 

630, 632 F Street. 

1873. 



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<V 



: 



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a 



PORTLAND STONE, 

(BE TON AGGL OMERE,) 

As adapted to Headstones for our National Cemeteries. 



ABGUMENT BY LOUIS BAKER. 



To the Committee on Millitaey Affairs and the Militia, 

OF THE UriTED STATES SENATE. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of tkls Committee : 

In a communication addressed by the Secretary of War, 
under date of December 6, 1872, to the United States Sen- 
ate and House of Kepresentatives, in reference to certain 
difficulties which that officer finds in the way of a satisfac- 
tory execution of the act of Congress, approved June 8, 
1872, providing for the marking of the graves of Union 
soldiers buried in National and incorporated cemeteries 
with headstones, the Secretary expresses himself as follows: 
"The question which confronts the Secretary of War in 
proceeding to compare and consider the bids, is whether, 
under the mandatory direction of the act, he is required 
to award to the bidders at the lowest price a contract to the 
extent of the fund available, or whether it was not the 
intention of Congress that, in determining which bid is 
the lowest, he should take into consideration the relative 
cheapness of all the articles offered with reference to both 
their cost and general fitness. 

Iso doubt is entertained that any rational interpretation 
of the law would justify a rejection of any kind of head- 
stones, evidently wanting in promise of durability, or in 
any other of the simplest conditions of utility and decency; 
but beyond this it may reasonably be questioned whether 







any larger discretion is conferred by the act, or whether 
any stone, although considered superior to all others in 
suitability, and regarding both price and value, the most 
economical, could be preferred to another not unservice- 
able and less expensive, but deemed to be not at all becom- 
ing its purpose." (Ex. Doc. No. 8, 42d Congress, 3d ses.) 

So far as the first question — whether the contract is to 
be awarded to the extent of the fund available only — is 
concerned, that is a matter the settlement of which rests 
entirely with Congress, in accordance with the laws and 
statutes in that case made and provided ; but upon the 
second point— whether, in awarding the contract, it was 
not the intention of Congress that the relative durability? 
utility, decency and cheapness, should be taken into consid- 
eration — there are no definite laws or precedents to go by, 
and the opinion as to which is the most durable, useful, 
decent and cheap headstone among the many varieties of 
material, size and design that have been sent in, may, at 
this moment be, and doubtless is, almost as diversified as 
are the, styles of the samples themselves. 

Some will take a fancy to a marble stone or slab, others 
to one of granite; one will .prefer a tablet made of soap- 
stone, and others, again, a block of sand or limestone. The 
qualities and peculiarities of these, and kindred sorts 
of stone, are well understood, as is also the cost of quarry- 
ing them and shaping them into decent headstones (decent 
in regard to size, workmanship, and general appearance.) 
A marble tombstone — I do no not mean a chip of marble 
you can canw off in your coat pocket — is an expensive 
object; the material is costly, the cutting and shaping of 
it is expensive, and the transportation is heavy. Hence, 
bids for marble tombstones, if they shall be decent and, 
useful, cannot possibly be cheap. The same applies to 
granite and all the other kinds of hard, impermeable stone. 
Softer stone, like magnesian limestone, soapstone, sandstone , 
&c, can, of course, be worked much cheaper, and will furnish 



a cheaper headstone, and a very decent one too, a slong as it 
is new ; but at the expense of durability. To combine 
durability with general utility, decency and cheapness, it 
has by some been proposed to use iron blocks or tablets 
with which to mark the graves of the dead defenders of 
our Union ; but while, in some respects, this universal 
material would answer the purpose admirably, it is, on the 
other hand, open to a great many objections. The natural 
color of iron is not such as would be suitable for this 
purpose. Galvanized, to protect it from the corroding 
influence of the weather, it would look worse still, and 
painting would add greatly to the cost of keeping our Na- 
tional cemeteries in proper order, as the paint would have 
to be renewed on the entire lot of tablets at least once a 
year. Besides, iron will crack in frost, and would offer a 
severe temptation to thieves and others, who would steal 
the tablets, or blocks, and sell them for old iron (there are 
unscrupulous junk dealers enough who would buy them,) 
uuless made sufficiently heavy, which would add greatly 
to the cost. 

The material to be selected as eminently most suitable, 
would seem to be that which combines, in the highest de- 
gree, the four absolutely necessary elements of durability, 
utility, decency and checqmess. A stone might fulfill three 
of these requirements, but would be unsuitable for lacking 
one. There is absolutely no difficulty in furnishing a hand- 
some, large, marble or granite stone, weighing some two 
or three hundred pounds, if cheapness is out of the ques- 
tion. Such a stone would fulfill the conditions of dura- 
bility, utility and decency ; but it cannot possibly be cheap. 
I have only to refer to the handsome samples of this kind 
and their respective cost, as set forth in the bids accompa- 
nying them. And on the other side, a marble or granite 
s ix pence ha'penny stone can be had, four by ten or six 
by eleven inches, weighing half a dozen or a dozen pounds, 
at a price nominally cheap enough — but look at the sam- 



pie ! Does it fulfill the condition of decency — in a grave- 
yard almost the most important of all ? There are some 
very pretty and cheap samples of chalk, gypsum and -lime- 
stone, of various kinds, quite good looking and apparently 
very cheap ; but chemical tests and experiments will show 
that they are not durable; that exposure to the storms, 
rains and frosts of our climate will soon aifect them, and 
that in a few years' time they would be little, if any, better 
than the wooden headboards they were destined to replace. 
Among the multitude of samples which have been sent in 
in response to the advertisement for bids, it will, after a 
careful examination of the bids and specimens, be patent 
to every fair-minded and unbiassed individual, that there 
are but few which fulfill all the requirements essential for 
a useful and serviceable headstone of the kind required, 
viz., durability, decency and cheapness. 

The truth is that there is but one material which will 
answer the purpose, and that is what is commonly known 
as artificial stone. I do not by this mean any of the nu- 
merous patented and not patented compounds, laying 
claim to this name, with or without merit; but the real 
genuine stuff as defined and recommended by Pascal, 
Sesquieres, Nehon, Baudemoulin, Marshall Vaillant, and 
other eminent chemists and engineers of France ; General 
Totten, C.'W. Pasley, Brunei, and others, of English fame ; 
and last, but not least, our own Major General Gillmore, 
of the Corps of Engineers, United States Army. I mean 
be'ton, or more properly speaking, beton agglomere, or 
compressed Portland stone. Beton has long been used 
in this and other countries for building and engineering 
purposes, and the strength and durability of this material 
has founded the subject of numerous books and treatises 
of such eminent authorities as Vicat, Fremy, Feburier, 
Totten, &c; but the improved b^ton, or beton agglomere^ 
is comparatively yet a new article of manufacture, having 
been first invented in France, and only recently introduced 



into this country. " The use of b£ton agglomere in France," 
says General Gillmore, in his report (page 56, par. 96,) 
" dates back to the year 1856, and confidence in its value 
.has been constantly on the increase since that date." 

The success with which this material was applied in the 
arts and industries in France, induced our Government, a 
year or two ago, to send a special commissioner to that 
country, to examine into and report upon the merits of the 
new material. Major General Q. A. Gillmore, of the 
Corps of Engineers, was selected for this delicate and re- 
sponsible duty ; and the result of his researches and in- 
vestigations are comprised in a report covering 77 pages, 
8vo., which was published in 1871, by authority of the 
Secretary of War, as number nineteen of the official 
" Professional Papers of the Corps of Engineers of the 
United States Army." From the nature of this work, it 
is but little known outside of official and professional 
circles, and to this fact is owing, in a great measure, the 
want of a general and accurate knowledge of the material 
known as Portland Stone, or artificial, stone of the best 
guality. 

And just here, permit me to interpose a few words about 
the word " artificial," as compared with " real." There 
are, and always will be, persons who will shrug their 
shoulders and turn a deaf ear to anything which begins 
with " artificial ". I would respectfully suggest that this 
word, in the first place, indicates that human mind and in- 
genuity has been at work, and hence the result ought to 
be, at least, entitled, to consideration. By far the most 
useful and most numerous products which enter into our 
life and existence as absolutely necessary to our well-being 
and comfort, are the result of art and industry, or have 
been improved upon by those two main agencies in culture 
and progress. The making of artificial stone, or stone 
produced by art, is an industry which, having obtained 
a firm foothold and recognized position in Europe, is 



6 

rapidly gaining ground in this country also, and becoming 
valued and popular in proportion as it becomes known and 
tried. Like the art of making steel, by the process of 
puddling, and the artificial propelling of vessels by means ' 
of steam engines, and in fact all other greai and good in- 
ventions, it has been the cause of a great hue-and-cry by 
thoughtless people, and those interested in our oldfashioned 
and expensive mode of building houses and carving 
monuments and headstones, &c. As the German poet, 
Heinrich Heine, so truly says — 

" Das ist eine alte Geschichte, 
Doch blei t die immei" neu ; " 

it is only the old story over again, of apathy shown to all 
really great and useful inventions before they became 
properly known and understood. Yet I venture to assert, 
that a few years hence, buildings made of artificial stone 
will be the rule, and those made of brick or natural stone — 
difficult and expensive to quarry, carve into the proper 
shape, and transport to the place of use — the exception. 
But there is no denying that at present there does exist in 
the minds of some a wholly unfounded prejudice against 
artificial stone, simply because it is " artificial." Is it 
because" it is not durable ? No. Experiments, and Gill- 
more's and a hundred other Government and private re- 
ports, show that this cannot be the cause of objection. 
Is it not decent, not suitable as regards color, grain, size 
and general design and appearance? Look at the sample 
we have offered and judge for yourself. Is it not useful, 
i. e., does it not answer the purpose- in every respect for 
which it is destined ? Again dook at our specimen and hear 
what I have yet to say upon the subject. And is it not 
cheap enough ? Look at our bid ($3.75,) and compare it 
with the other bids and accompanying samples. We 
ask you respectfully, but urgently, to do this, and submit to 
what your own good judgment dictates, instead of throw- 
ing common sense to the winds and following and acting 



upon a mere prejudice. It is the knowledge of the ex- 
istence of this prejudice, unjust and absurd though it be, 
and as I hope to prove it to be, which brings me here be- 
fore. you, in the endeavor, in a measure at least, to obtain 
for our claim the attention and consideration to which its 
merits justly entitle it, but which, owing to the unhappy, 
or rather unaccustomed preface of " artificial," might per- 
haps not be accorded it. A disposition has been mani- 
fested in certain quarters to exclude " artificial " stone from 
competition, for no other reason than because it is artificial. 
This, I maintain, is unjust; and it is with the full conviction 
that the honorable gentlemen comprising this committee 
will not permit empty and unwarranted prejudice to get 
the best of fact and common sense, that I have asked a 
hearing for the purpose of showing what is meant by cur 
artificial stone, and arguing and proving its special and 
superior merits, as compared to any other stone or material 
for the particular purpose now under consideration. 

In the following I shall confine myself to quoting from 
the authenticated reports of officers and commissioners of 
the United States Government, who have tried and ex- 
amined the agglomerated beton,and speak from experience. 

First, then, we will see what the United States Com- 
missioner to the Paris Exposition of 1867, has to say upon 
the subject, In opening that portion of his report which 
treats of artificial stone, he says : 

" The -agglomerated beions have been extensively intro- 
duced in France in the construction of heavy public works 
and in the erection of private dwellings. * * * All 
the foundations and basement of the palace of the Expo- 
sition and other heavy structures in the Champ de Mars ; 
those of the immense military barracks recently erected 
on the island of the city ; the rail-road bridge of St. Colombe, 
on the road from Lyons to Marseilles ; a very large 
number of substructures for private houses; some houses 
entire, and innumerable foundations for the support of 



8 

heavy machinery, has been constructed in the same way." 

After describing the process of the manufacture of the 
agglomerated beton, he then goes on to say : 

" A church has been constructed at Vesinet of this 
material entirely, the whole being a mass of beton with- 
out joints. The pit of sand of the neighborhood was 
used." Numerous other examples of the successful em- 
ployment of Portland Stone or beton agglomere are then 
given, when the commissioner winds up his report upon 
this subject by saying : 

" At the Paris Exposition of 1867 there were presented 
specimens of the various applications of this important 
material, including a pavilion, as illustrative of its adapted- 
ness to building in mass; lintels, cornices, friezes, paving 
slabs, monuments, urns, statues, and nearly every other im- 
portant object in which stone is commonly employed, 
whether for useful or ornamental purposes. * * * The 
Be" ton Agglomere" must be regarded as one of those new 
and useful things which the Exposition of 1867 was first 
to bring conspicuously before the w 7 orld." 

In concluding his report, the Commissioner says, that 
the crushing weight which this Beton is capable of resist- 
ing is four hundred kilograms per square centimetre, or 
nearly fifty-four hundred pounds to the square inch. 

Were it not that time and space is necessarily limited, 
I should like to quote at greater length from the United 
States Commissioner's official report upon this material, 
and the numerous examples given of instances where it 
has been successfully employed. Some of the finest monu- 
ments in the graveyards of Pere la Chaise and at Passy 
are made of this material, which is in France rapidly 
superceding the much more costly, but not a whit hand- 
somer and less durable, marble tombstones and monuments. 

Major General Gillmore in his official report upon this 
artificial stone, already referred to, thus defines the mean- 
ing of Beton Agglomere : " This name is given to a belon 



9 

of very superior quality, or, more properly speaking, an 
artificial stone, of great strength and hardness," &c. The 
proportion of materials used in the manufacture of this 
stone, as represented by the specimen headstone furnished 
by Mr. Moore, is one volume of the best Portland cement 
to two and one-half volumes of sand. This stone, seven 
da,}s after it was moulded, has been tested to stand a 
crushing weight of 1,454.5 pounds to the square inch ; or, 
in other words, a headstone like the one Mr. Moore pro- 
poses to furnish, having a superficial area of 621 square 
inches, would bear a weight of over 1,000 tons, before being 
crushed.* 

General Gillmore made experiments with exactly the 
same kind of stone (made from the same materials in the 
same proportions), and found a briquette having an area of 
19J square iuches, when seven days old, to withstand a 
pressure of twelve and one-half tons. This after an age 
and exposure to the elements of seven days only ! "When 
nine months old, this stone has been found to withstand 
the enormous crushing weight of between 2,500 and 3,000 
pounds to the square inch. • (See table X, Gillmore's 
Eeport, " Mr. Grant's Experiments.") Who fancies that 
a tombstone will ever have to sustain a weight like that, 
or even remotely approaching thereto ? Well may General 
Gillmore say, on page 43 of his report : " Beton Agglo- 
mere, when the volume of matrix is so adjusted that the 
voids in the sand are completely filled — say in the pro- 
portion generally of one of the matrix to two-and-a-half or 
three of sand, becomes in process of time as impervious to 
water as many of the compact natural stones, while its 
matured strength exceeds that of the best qualities of 
sandstone, some of the granites, and many of the lime- 
stones and marbles." 



♦Samples of the Beton made by Mr. Moore, and used in his sample, 
have been repeatedly subjected to the "crushing test" at the Navy 
Yard in Washington. A one inch cube stood the enormous pressure 
of 4,400 pounds," before cracking. 



10 

Impermeability to water is necessarily one of the most 
important considerations in a durable and useful headstone. 
If it absorbs water from the rains of summer or thaws 
of winter, it cannot possibly long retain its original shape 
and design. In winter, when the frosts come, the water 
contained in the pores of the stone will freeze, the surface 
of the stone will scale off, and not unfrequently the whole 
stone will crack through and through, as may often be 
observed to be the case with many of the monuments in 
graveyards. One need not go farther than to our own 
cemetery at Rock Creek in order to get ocular evidence 
of the corroding influences of exposure to the weather of 
that which, as " natural," is considered by some unthink- 
ing people superior to the artificial product. 

The impermeability of Portland Stone, made from 
Beton Agglome>e\ is perfect. Upon this point General 
G-illmore says as follows : 

" Chemical tests have shown this beton to be practi- 
cally impervious to water. Two small specimens, each 
weighing about 1\ gramme's, were tried by Dr. Isidor 
Walz, chemist, of New York city. Their specific gravity 
was 2,305. They were immersed in water fifteen minutes, 
and then kept four days in air, saturated with moisture. 
One of the specimens did not increase in weight at all 
during the interval, while the other absorbed 16-100 of 
one per cent, of moisture. This material, therefore, 
possesses all the characteristic properties of durability? 
being dense, hard, strong and homogeneous ; and there 
w T ould appear to be no reason for supposing that it may 
not, with entire safety, be applied to out-door construc- 
tions, even in the most northerly portions of the United 
States." 

Again I quote from Gillmore : 

" Pieces of statuary and other specimens ornamented 
with delicate tracery, have been exposed for five consecu- 
tive winters to the weather in New York city, without under- 



11 

going the slightest perceptible change." (p. 44.) And 
again, when speaking of the uses of this excellent material 
in Europe and elsewhere : " The most important and costly 
work that has yet been undertaken in this material is a 
section, thirty-seven miles in length, of the Vanne aqueduct, 
for supplying water to the city of Paris. * * * Water 
was let into a portion of this pipe in the spring of 1869, 
and Mr. Belgrand, inspector-general of bridges and high- 
ways, and director of drainage and sewers of the city of 
Paris, certified that the impermeability appeared complete. 

Another interesting application of the material has been 
made in the construction, completed or nearly so*, of the 
light-house at Port Said, Egypt. It will be one hundred 
and eighty feet high, without joints, and resting upon a 
monolithic block of belon, containing nearly four hundred 
cubic yards. In design it is an exact copy of the Baleines 
lighthouse, executed after the plans and under the orders 
of M. Leonce Eegnaud, engineer-in-chief. 

An entire Gothic church, with its foundations, walls 
and steeple, in a single piece, has been built of this material 
at Vesinet, near Paris ; the steeple is one hundred and 
thirty feet high, and shows no cracks or other evidence of 
weakness. Mr. Pallu, the founder, certifies that ' during 
the two years consumed in the building of this church, 
the beton agglomer6, in all its stages, was exposed to 
rain and frost, and that it has perfectly resisted all 
variations of temperature." 

It will be patent to all, that in a tomb- or headstone im- 
permeability is of even greater moment than strength to 
resist an extraordinary amount of weight, and that in de- 
ciding the durability of a headstone, this is one of the first 
and most important considerations to be taken into ac- 
count. The few extracts above given from a standard and 
official authority like Gillmore, will doubtless satisfy the 



*This was written in 1871. It is now completed. 



12 

most skeptical upon this point; but if it should not, Mr- 
Moore will, with great pleasure, afford everybody who 
desires it, an opportunity to test his headstone, and the 
material he proposes to use in them, upon this and all 
other points that eome under the head of durability; 
the decency and cheapness of his headstone will speak for 
themselves, and require but little comment. 

Numerous other examples are given by Gillmore to show 
the impermeability and power to resist an enormous crush- 
ing weight of this material, which is in this country com- 
monly known as " Portland Stone," the term of bLon ac/- 
glornere being rather frenchy for an American or English 
tongue; but time prohibits my giving any more at pres- 
ent, All the works executed in Portland Stone, of which 
descriptions are given in Gillmore's report, with the excep- 
tion of those at Port Said, in Egypt, were visited by him 
in person, in the year 1870, and, he says, u these state- 
ment are based upon close observation and personal knowl- 
edge ! " 

Summing up his chapter on the uses of Portland Stone 
in Europe and elsewhere, General Gillmore says, (p. 48) : 

"Many other interesting applications of this material 
were examined, of which it is not deemed necessary to 
make any special mention, except that in combined sta- 
bility, strength, beauty and cheapness, they far surpass the 
best results that could have been achieved by the use of 
any other materials, whether stone, brick or wood. In the 
numerous and varied applications which have been made 
of it in France, it has received the most emphatic com- 
mendations from the government engineers' and archi- 
tects." 

Now, what is it that is especially and most particularly 
required of headstones for the graves of our fallen soldiers ? 
Is it not the highest degree of stability, strength, beauty and 
cheapness combined ; or, in the words of the Secretary of 
War : durability, decency and cheapness ? And that is ex- 



13 

actly what we propose to furnish. On the authority of Gen. 
Gillmore, let alone upwards of a dozen eminent French, 
English and German engineers, civil and military, the 
Portland Stone, or b4ton agglomere, possesses these essen- 
tial, nay, absolutely necessary, elements to a greater extent 
than any other materials, whether stone (natural), brick or 
wood. What more can be said in its favor, and is a more 
convincing proof required of its superiority for this purpose ? 
Stability, strength, beauty and cheapness, are exactly what 
is required of these headstones, and they are exactly the 
elements which our material possesses, according to Gill- 
more et al., in a higher degree than natural stone or any 
other similar substance. 

In summing up the numerous advantages of the Port- 
land Stone, Gillmore says: "For numerous purposes 
beton agglomere possesses not only great comparative 
cheapness, but all the essential merits of stone with respect 
to strength, hardness and durability ; while 

for ornamental work of every description within the prov- 
ince of the architect or engineer, it possesses advantages 
peculiar to itself, and not equally shared by other mate- 
rials." 

The beton agglomere used in France, or Coignet Beton, 
is not composed altogether of Portland Cement and sand, 
the cement being replaced to a greater or less extent, by 
hydraulic lime, owing to the diiference in cost of the two 
materials. The hydraulic lime costs only about one-half 
as much as Portland Cement, but the beton made from 
this is inferior to that in which pure cement and sand are 
used alone, without any admixture of hydraulic lime. 
Upon this point General Gillmore says, (p. 50 of his 
Report) : " When great strength and hardness are re- 
quired, the lime must be replaced, in part at least, by Port- 
land Cement, and the best results are attained with Portland 
Cement alone.''' 
In Mr. Moore's specimen no lime, hydraulic or other- 



14 

wise, has beeu used. The Portland Stone he proposes to 
use for the Headstones, contains only pure Portland Ce- 
ment and sand, in the proportion of one part of the former 
to two and a half parts of the latter. When such magni- 
ficent results have been attained in Europe, with a matrix 
of lime and only a small, portion of the costly cement,* the 
superior merits of the material employed in our sample 
may he easily inferred. 

What I have stated so far, and substantiated by refer- 
ence to two standard reports by officers of the United 
States Government, has had regard to the item of dura- 
bility only. I think enough has been said, and sufficient 
testimony adduced, to convince every fair-minded person 
that, upon this point at least, the material furnished by 
Mr. Moore fulfills more than the needed reqtiirements. I 
have taken that point first because it is the first mentioned 
in the letter from the Secretary of War to Congress, ask- 
ing for instructions in the premises ; and because it is, 
probably, the most important. Dismissing it, I shall take 
up the next item of decency, by which I presume is meant 
respectability in regard to size, design, and general appear- 
ance. On this point, as also upon the following point of 
cheapness, not much need be said, as our sample and bid 
speak for themselves in those respects. Those who have 
not seen the sample will obtain a good idea of its size and 
appearance by reference to the cuts, which show both a 
side elevation of the headstone and perspective sketch of a 
stone placed in position. The figures underneath the 
cuts give the actual size of the headstones, whose weight 
is about three hundred pounds each. 



*The beton agglomerS used in the construction of most of the public 
■works (including the military barracks of Notre Dame, etc.) in France, 
is composed of tive volumes of hydraulic lime, in powder, and only 
one-fourth volume of cement. 



15 




Length of Base, 27 inches. Width of Base, 22 inches. 
Height of Front, 7 inches. Height of Back, 9 inches. 




SIDE ELEVATION. 

fLength of Base, 27 inches. Width of Base, 22 inches. 
Height of Front, 7 inches. Height of Back, 9 inches, 

As will be observed by reference to the cuts, the design 
of the stone is such as will insure its being at all times and 
under all circumstances, kept in its proper position. This 
is further facilitated by its great weight, which has also 
the advantage of rendering it difficult of removal. If a 
stone of lesser weight is adopted, there will not be one left 
on a single grave in the more distant and exposed ceme- 
teries in the territories and elsewhere, where building stone 
is scarce. But this is not the only advantage possessed in 
its weight and design. It will be obvious that there is no 
possibility for this stone, when placed in position at the 
head of a grave, being displaced by frost, wind, or from 



16 

other causes. The frost may lift it up a little, but when 
the ground thaws out, it will immediately settle back into 
its old position. No hurricane is powerful enough to dis- 
place it, nor is it easily covered by the grass and under- 
growth of the cemeteries. It is very different with the 
flat tablets, or slabs, stuck on end in the ground at a cer- 
tain angle, which is invariably affected by the changing 
conditions of the ground. Immediately after the placing, 
stones of such a design may look well enough, and stand 
exactly at the same angle and in a row like well drilled 
soldiers ; but wait until the snow storms and frosts of 
winter, and then see the results. The upheaval of the 
ground throws them naturally oat of position ; one will 
stand one way and one another, each one at a different 
angle with the ground and its neighbors. And a'row of 
graves thus furnished will present a most unsightly ap- 
pearance. The wind also, coming with all its force against 
the fronts or backs of such slabs, will have a visible and 
disastrous effect, and affect their position and the symme- 
try of the graveyard in a very mournful sort of manner. 
It is true that these drawbacks may be obviated to some 
extent, though never perfectly, by using a very heavy 
slab, or tablet, stuck deeply in the ground or set in a base. 
There are many very handsome tombstones of such a de- 
sign in our churchyards that have withstood the action of 
the frosts and hurricanes ; but this is necessarily done at 
the expense of cheapness. No better proof of this is 
needed than an examination of the bids. The tablet 
specimens of a size to be at all useful, that is, going deep 
enough in the ground to render them comparatively station- 
ary, and at the same time showing a fair and respectable 
portion above ground, range from six and a half to ten 
dollars and more apiece. There may be specimens that 
cost less, and go sufficiently deep into the ground to insure 
stability; but then they merely pop their heads a few 
inches above the ground, and must perennially disappear 



17 

below the grass covering the mounds, especially in locali- 
ties where the cemeteries are not so well cared for as 
at Arlington and elsewhere in the vicinity of large cities. 

Now, a headstone that changes its base without regard 
to that of its comrades to the right and left, or immediately 
in the front or in the rear of it ; or one that from its in- 
sufficient size may be mistaken for a mushroom, or a stake 
to tether cattle by, cannot possibly lay claim to decency. 
It may be durable and cheap enough, but cannot possibly 
be decent. No headstone at all would be far better than 
an excuse for one. 

It is unnecessary to dilate at length on the third and 
last point: that of cheapness. Where " cost is no object," 
granite and marble monuments may be erected, of such a 
size and design as to fulfil the requirements of durability 
and decency to the greatest extent : but when cheapness 
is to be taken into consideration, this cannot possibly be 
done. You can have a cheap marble or granite headstone, 
but only at a sacrifice of one or both of the equally, if not 
more, important elements of utility and decency. Now I 
claim for b£ton agglomere' and for our sample that it em- 
bodies, in an eminent degree, all the requirements of du- 
rability, utility, decency and cheapness ; or/as General Gill- 
more says : " that in combined stability, strength, beauty and 
cheapness, they " (meaning sundry applications of Portland 
Stone, including expressly monuments, statuary, &c.,) "far 
surpass the best results that could have been achieved by 
the use of any other materials," not excepting the natural 
and always costly stone. 

In conclusion, I would only respectfully call the atten- 
tion of all those who are disposed to feel unfriendly to- 
wards the Portland Stone, merely because it is, as they say, 
" artificial," to the fact that common brick, the material 
most extensively employed in the construction of our 



18 

dwellings and other edifices, is artificial stone also, made 
of clay prepared and manipulated in a particular manner, 
and afterwards undergoing certain processes, such as dry- 
ing, burning or baking, &c; and that it has been defi- 
nately ascertained that the pyramids of Egypt — those 
mammoth structures whose solidity have withstood for 
centuries the ravages of time and mankind — are constructed 
of artificial stone, made of the sand of the desert, cemented 
together in blocks of suitable size and shape, by the aid 
of some cement known to the Egytians of that day. Some 
scientists who have carefully examined and analyzed 
pieces of stone from the pyramids of Gizeh and Thebes, 
assert that the cement emplo} T ed in the manufacture of 
this artificial stone is a peculiar kind of pozzuolana, of 
volcanic origin, not unlike natural cement in its composi- 
tion and properties. Where they obtained the cement 
from, is, however as yet, a mystery, which it remains for 
future Egyptiologists to solve. But the fact remains, that 
structures made of artificial stone, centuries ago, still exist 
in almost their original magnitude and magnificence, 
while temples and palaces of marble and other natural 
stone, erected at a much later day, have long since fallen 
victims to the tooth of time and the elements. While 
of Diana's marvel of marble and porphyrias, and gold 
and silver, in Ephesus scaree a vestige remains, still 
stands to-day in all their grim solidity and compactness, 
the pyramids, built not of marble, nor of granite, but 
simply of artificial stone — semper idem — " always the 
same ! " 



